Agenda - 02-08-2000 - 3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ib Other Information As additional information, it will also be beneficial to be aware of activities in Durham, Forsyth, and Wake counties. Durham and Forsyth counties do not operate with any "subcommittees" of the boards of commissioners. However, the boards of commissioners for these counties do meet as committees of the whole prior to their regular meetings for "agenda work sessions ". During these work sessions, the boards review their upcoming agenda items, ask questions of staff, and request additional information. No decisions are made. However, having these work sessions provides the boards with the opportunity to address potential issues and questions ahead of the regular meeting. This allows the regular meeting to flow more smoothly, and the regular meetings normally last less than two hours. Regarding Wake County, it should be noted that the Board of Commissioners operated with six (6) standing subcommittees up until two years ago. Those subcommittees were: Community Services, Administration, Public Safety, Human Services, Intergovernmental, and Education. Each commissioner, except the Chair, served as a chair for one of the subcommittees. Two other commissioners joined the subcommittee chair, making a total of three commissioners on each subcommittee. The subcommittees met on an "as needed" basis. The subcommittee structure was abolished two years ago due to several reasons. The clerk to the board noted that the same in -depth discussion and information- sharing was occurring at both the subcommittee level and the full board level, thereby defeating the intended purpose of the subcommittee structure. The subcommittee structure and its associated meetings were also creating additional meetings for the commissioners, and since the entire Board was discussing issues fully anyway, the abandonment of the subcommittee structure was viewed as a time - saving, meeting - reducing opportunity.